A conventional heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) writer typically includes at least a waveguide, a near-field transducer (NFT), a main pole and a coil for energizing the main pole. The conventional HAMR writer uses light, or energy, received from a conventional laser in order to write to a magnetic recording media. Light from the laser is incident on and coupled into the waveguide. Light is guided by the conventional waveguide to the NFT near the ABS. The NFT focuses the light to a small region of the magnetic recording media, such as a disk. This region is thus heated. The main pole is energized and field from the pole tip is used to write to the heated portion of the recording media.
Although the conventional HAMR writer functions, improvements in performance and fabrication are still desired. For example, improvements in alignment of the laser to the waveguide, bonding, and writing using the HAMR writer are desired to be improved.